WHO I FISHED WITH: This morning, April 10th, I fished with old Army buddies George Harmeyer and Bruce Overbay, and their wives, Phyllis and Melissa. George and Bruce first met as lieutenants during the Vietnam era. George was already stationed in Germany and Bruce was just arriving when an “alert” caused their paths to cross; the two have been friends ever since. Bruce retired from Exxon a few years ago, and he and Melissa now roam the nation in their motorhome. George retired as a major general (2-star), lives with Phyllis in Harker Heights, and is involved with the “Warriors Afield Legacy Foundation” with sponsors several outdoor events each year for wounded military personnel.
PHOTO CAPTION: From left: George and Phyllis Harmeyer, and Melissa and Bruce Overbay with a few of the 34 fish we landed on yet another tough weather day.
WHAT WE FISHED FOR: This trip was a multi-species fishing trip.
WHERE WE FISHED: Stillhouse Hollow
WHEN WE FISHED: 10 April 2019, AM
HOW WE FISHED: This trip broke down into two distinct components. The first action we experienced came right off the bat as white bass drove shad through the water column and to the surface thus giving their position away by the commotion they made as they fed on shad over a shallow flat under calm/light ripple conditions. As the ladies learned to cast spinning gear, they got through the learning curve quickly and were routinely landing white bass on Cicada bladebaits, as were the fellows. That spree lasted about 75 minutes and gave up 21 fish landed, with several others missed.
We then endured about a 2-hour slow period during which time the wind remained light, ultimately to begin blowing from the SSE at 13-14+ mph by around 10am. By mid-afternoon the winds were exceeding 22mph straight-line, with higher gusts.
Once this wind had worked on the water for a bit, we checked a wind-impacted underwater point in about 34 feet and found the bait and fish we had been searching for. Using LiveScope technology, we very accurately presented baits to individual, suspended fish and put another 13 fish in the boat with a few more missed before the bite subsided around 11:30am. The lure of choice here was the 3/8 oz. Hazy Eye Slab/Stinger combination.
OBSERVATIONS: 1) I noted a lot of refusals of our baits today as we observed fish passing beneath the boat on LiveScope, which, based on size, number, and behavior, were definitely white bass. 2) The following is the temperature profile I measured before sunrise today:
0 feet 68.5 F
5 feet 68.4F
10 feet 67.4F
15 feet 66.1F
20 feet 65F
25 feet 63.8F
30’ 62.3F
35 feet 61.2F
40’ 59.8F
45 feet 57.8F
50 feet 56.9F
55 feet 55.5F
60 feet 54.9F
65 feet 54.7F
TALLY: 34 fish caught and released
TODAY’S CONDITIONS/NOTES:
Start Time: 7:00a
End Time: 11:30p
Air Temp. @ Trip’s Start: 64F
Elevation: 0.62 feet high, with a 0.05 foot 24-hour fall
Water Surface Temp: ~68.5F
Wind Speed & Direction: Light NW ripple for ~1 hour after sunrise, then light and variable for about 2 hours, then picking up with gusto from the SSE at 14+
Sky Conditions: No cloud cover.
GT = 85
#WhiteBassFishing #LakeBelton #StillhouseHollow
Wx SNAPSHOT:
AREAS FISHED WITH SUCCESS:
**Area SH0092C to 1697 – low light, shallow water action on bladebaits for white bass chasing shad in under 14′, lasting about 75 minutes
**Area SH0107C – wind-driven action for suspended 2-year class white bass using 3/8 oz. slabs in conjunction with LiveScope technology, lasting about 90 minutes
Bob Maindelle
Full-time, Professional Fishing Guide and Owner of Holding the Line Guide Service
Belton Lake Fishing Guide, Stillhouse Hollow Fishing Guide
254.368.7411 (call or text)
Website: www.HoldingTheLineGuideService.com
E-mail: Bob@HoldingTheLineGuideService.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/bobmaindelle
Twitter: www/twitter.com/bobmaindelle